The Quiet Americans by Scott Anderson, NEW 1st/1st Hardcover, FREE SHIP
US $24.99
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- Buy It NowThe Quiet Americans by Scott Anderson, NEW 1st/1st Hardcover, FREE SHIP
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Item specifics
- Condition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Product Group
- Book
- Features
- Dust Jacket, 1st. Print. Full Number Line.
- Weight
- 2 lbs
- Edition
- First Edition
- IsTextBook
- No
- ISBN
- 9780385540452
- Book Title
- Quiet Americans : Four Cia Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War--A Tragedy in Three Acts
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Item Length
- 9.5 in
- Publication Year
- 2020
- Format
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Yes
- Item Height
- 1.5 in
- Genre
- Political Science, True Crime, History
- Topic
- Espionage, Intelligence & Espionage, Modern / 20th Century, Military / Wars & Conflicts (Other)
- Item Weight
- 34.3 Oz
- Item Width
- 6.4 in
- Number of Pages
- 576 Pages
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0385540450
ISBN-13
9780385540452
eBay Product ID (ePID)
25038254597
Product Key Features
Book Title
Quiet Americans : Four Cia Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War--A Tragedy in Three Acts
Number of Pages
576 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Espionage, Intelligence & Espionage, Modern / 20th Century, Military / Wars & Conflicts (Other)
Publication Year
2020
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Political Science, True Crime, History
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1.5 in
Item Weight
34.3 Oz
Item Length
9.5 in
Item Width
6.4 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2019-054799
TitleLeading
The
Reviews
" ENTHRALLING ...Lying and stealing and invading, it should be said, make for captivating reading, especially in the hands of a storyteller as skilled as Anderson...the climate of fear and intolerance that it describes in Washington also feels uncomfortably timely. " -- Kevin Peraino, The New York Times Book Review "Anderson''s look at four men who ran covert operations around the globe after World War II is AS THRILLING AS IT IS TRAGIC , as each man confronts the moral compromises he made in the name of democracy." -- The Washington Post "A DARKLY ENTERTAINING tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington''s fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today." -- The New York Times "In his skillful and fascinating "The Quiet Americans"...Mr. Anderson ingeniously tells his story through the entwined sagas of four of the secret service''s most adept and intrepid operatives" --Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal "This intriguing book is an indictment. From its first page it argues that the CIA lost its way, in all senses, in the first decade of the cold war. Its witnesses are four courageous and initially idealistic patriots. Frank Wisner oversaw some of the earliest efforts to "roll back" communism in Europe. Michael Burke was a daredevil figure in the same game. Edward Lansdale was an éminence grise in the Far East. Peter Sichel, a German-born Jewish wine-merchant and Wunderkind--and the only one of the four still alive--held his nose as he co-opted former Nazis into the agency, an initiative cited as one of its original sins....Many of the CIA''s failures stemmed from familiar shortcomings. ''We all have this tendency to look for information that confirms our beliefs and to ignore what conflicts with them," explains Mr Sichel. "It''s very hard to give somebody information he doesn''t want to hear, and the more senior they are, the worse it is. '' -- The Economist "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the ''disease of empires,'' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It''s a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "[A] highly entertaining history of four Cold War spies..." -- Evan Thomas, Air Mail "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher''s Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal, " ENTHRALLING ...Lying and stealing and invading, it should be said, make for captivating reading, especially in the hands of a storyteller as skilled as Anderson...the climate of fear and intolerance that it describes in Washington also feels uncomfortably timely. " -- Kevin Peraino, The New York Times Book Review "Anderson's look at four men who ran covert operations around the globe after World War II is AS THRILLING AS IT IS TRAGIC , as each man confronts the moral compromises he made in the name of democracy." -- The Washington Post "A DARKLY ENTERTAINING tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington's fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today." -- The New York Times "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the 'disease of empires,' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It's a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal, " ENTHRALLING ...Lying and stealing and invading, it should be said, make for captivating reading, especially in the hands of a storyteller as skilled as Anderson...the climate of fear and intolerance that it describes in Washington also feels uncomfortably timely. " -- Kevin Peraino, The New York Times Book Review "Anderson's look at four men who ran covert operations around the globe after World War II is AS THRILLING AS IT IS TRAGIC , as each man confronts the moral compromises he made in the name of democracy." -- The Washington Post "A DARKLY ENTERTAINING tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington's fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today." -- The New York Times "In his skillful and fascinating "The Quiet Americans"...Mr. Anderson ingeniously tells his story through the entwined sagas of four of the secret service's most adept and intrepid operatives" --Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the 'disease of empires,' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It's a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "[A] highly entertaining history of four Cold War spies..." -- Evan Thomas, Air Mail "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal, "A darkly entertaining tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington's fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today." -- The New York Times "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the 'disease of empires,' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It's a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal, A New York Times Notable Book " ENTHRALLING ...Lying and stealing and invading, it should be said, make for captivating reading, especially in the hands of a storyteller as skilled as Anderson...the climate of fear and intolerance that it describes in Washington also feels uncomfortably timely. " -- Kevin Peraino, The New York Times Book Review "Anderson''s look at four men who ran covert operations around the globe after World War II is AS THRILLING AS IT IS TRAGIC , as each man confronts the moral compromises he made in the name of democracy." -- The Washington Post "A DARKLY ENTERTAINING tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington''s fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today." -- The New York Times "In his skillful and fascinating "The Quiet Americans"...Mr. Anderson ingeniously tells his story through the entwined sagas of four of the secret service''s most adept and intrepid operatives" --Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal "This intriguing book is an indictment. From its first page it argues that the CIA lost its way, in all senses, in the first decade of the cold war. Its witnesses are four courageous and initially idealistic patriots. Frank Wisner oversaw some of the earliest efforts to "roll back" communism in Europe. Michael Burke was a daredevil figure in the same game. Edward Lansdale was an éminence grise in the Far East. Peter Sichel, a German-born Jewish wine-merchant and Wunderkind--and the only one of the four still alive--held his nose as he co-opted former Nazis into the agency, an initiative cited as one of its original sins....Many of the CIA''s failures stemmed from familiar shortcomings. ''We all have this tendency to look for information that confirms our beliefs and to ignore what conflicts with them," explains Mr Sichel. "It''s very hard to give somebody information he doesn''t want to hear, and the more senior they are, the worse it is. '' -- The Economist "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the ''disease of empires,'' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It''s a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "[A] highly entertaining history of four Cold War spies..." -- Evan Thomas, Air Mail "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher''s Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal, "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the 'disease of empires,' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It's a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal, " ENTHRALLING ...Lying and stealing and invading, it should be said, make for captivating reading, especially in the hands of a storyteller as skilled as Anderson...the climate of fear and intolerance that it describes in Washington also feels uncomfortably timely. " -- Kevin Peraino, The New York Times Book Review "Anderson's look at four men who ran covert operations around the globe after World War II is AS THRILLING AS IT IS TRAGIC , as each man confronts the moral compromises he made in the name of democracy." -- The Washington Post "A DARKLY ENTERTAINING tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington's fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today." -- The New York Times "In this sweeping, vivid, beautifully observed book, Scott Anderson unearths the devastating secret history of how the Unites States lost the plot during the Cold War. By focusing on the twisty, colorful lives of four legendary spies, Anderson distills the larger geopolitical saga into an intimate story of flawed but talented men, of the 'disease of empires,' and of the inescapable moral hazard of American idealism and power. It's a hell of a book, with themes about the unintended consequences of espionage and interventionism that still resonate, powerfully, today." -- Patrick Radden Keefe , author of SAY NOTHING "[A] highly entertaining history of four Cold War spies..." -- Evan Thomas, Air Mail "Anderson delivers a complex, massively scaled narrative, balancing prodigious research with riveting storytelling skills...Over the course of the narrative, the author amply shows how the CIA was increasingly pushed to function as an instrument of politically charged ambitions. An engrossing history of the early days of the CIA." -- Kirkus Review (Starred) "Anderson notes the harrowing emotional cost on his subjects...as the U.S. threw its support behind autocratic leaders and missed opportunities to aid legitimate liberation movements such as the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Such blunders, Anderson writes, recast the U.S. from WWII savior to "one more empire in the mold of all those that had come before." Laced with vivid character sketches and vital insights into 20th-century geopolitics, this stand-out chronicle helps to make sense of the world today." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred) "Anderson weaves his narrative among the lives of his subjects, highlighting aspects of their livelihoods as American spies that were at times equally frustrating, ridiculous, and chillingly dangerous...A fascinating and compulsively readable account of wartime spying." -- Library Journal
Synopsis
"Enthralling. . . . Lying and stealing and invading, it should be said, make for captivating reading, especially in the hands of a storyteller as skilled as Anderson." -- The New York Times Book Review A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR At the end of World War II, the United States was considered the victor over tyranny and a champion of freedom. But it was clear--to some--that the Soviet Union was already seeking to expand and foment revolution around the world, and the American government's strategy in response relied on the secret efforts of a newly formed CIA. Chronicling the fascinating lives of the agents who sought to uphold American ideals abroad, Scott Anderson follows the exploits of four spies: Michael Burke, who organized parachute commandos from an Italian villa; Frank Wisner, an ingenious spymaster who directed actions around the world; Peter Sichel, a German Jew who outwitted the ruthless KGB in Berlin; and Edward Lansdale, a mastermind of psychological warfare in the Far East. But despite their lofty ambitions, time and again their efforts went awry, thwarted by a combination of ham-fisted politicking and ideological rigidity at the highest levels of the government. Told with narrative brio, deep research, and a skeptical eye, The Quiet Americans is the gripping story of how the United States, at the very pinnacle of its power, managed to permanently damage its moral standing in the world.
LC Classification Number
JK468.I6A8435 2020
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- s***a (254)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseI'm so very thankful to have given this vendor a chance, because my experience with them was altogether positive! Not only did the book I order arrive earlier than expected, but thanks to how well they packaged it, its condition precisely matched the listing and the photos provided. It suffered no damage, and what I received came a great value. I'm so happy to have purchased from them, and I hope you give them the same chance, too!
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- 2***g (35)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThe item is exactly as listed. Arrived in a timely manner. For the price listed, the condition is acceptable. The packaging could have been more protective, but it survived. I am a satisfied customer.
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- May 09, 2022
Excellent
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: mtwyouth
- Jul 25, 2022
Great Source for used Books
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: goodwill_industries_of_south_florida
- Apr 23, 2024
Nice book.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale
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